An examination of institutional characteristics, selection committees, and induction criteria for college athletic halls of fame

Abstract

ABSTRACTAn intercollegiate athletic hall of fame stands as a nostalgic monument to the achievements of athletes, coaches, and other icons. These halls of fame, in addition to more traditional sport museums, draw a variety alumni, students, and tourists. While steeped in tradition, there is a dearth of research in academic literature on college halls of fame, especially within the framework of sport heritage. An exploratory research design utilizing procedural and archival data was implemented to examine institutional characteristics, selection committees, and induction criteria of 93 Football Bowl Subdivision institutions. Descriptive data of four selection committee variables and eight induction criteria variables revealed trends on how American colleges and universities decide who or what to enshrine in their halls of fame. A Multivariate Analyses of Variance illustrated no significant differences for selection committee variables based on conference; nonetheless, significant conference differences existed among induction criteria variables. These findings, combined with previous research on sport museums and other sport venues, reaffirm the need for a representative and diverse selection committee, inclusion of at-large members in the creation of induction criteria, and an accurate historical account of its hall of fame inductees. Future research endeavors regarding college athletic halls of fame are also discussed.